The bathroom (e.g., water closet or lavatory) is the single, most polluted room in any home or public building. The continual use of bleaches, detergents and antibiotics to clean the bathroom are harmful to the environment and produce resistant strains, which become progressively more difficult to control. The use of chemicals is short lived and is generally used after such pollution has become established. Nevertheless, there is a general concern with both the public and health authorities that cleanliness around lavatories needs continuous attention.
There have been a number of approaches describing toilets with a self-cleaning bowl. Cleaning a toilet is important for both aesthetic and health reasons. In addition to the waste that may soil the toilet bowl, a great many water supply systems provide water having bacteria, minerals, or other matter that cause stains and deposits when the water is left stagnant for any period of time, particularly around the water line of a toilet. Cleaning toilets is not a pleasant task and few people are likely to enjoy the job. As a result, a toilet may not be cleaned for a long period of time. The longer the time between cleanings, the more difficult the task becomes, e.g., because the stains set into the porcelain and require major scrubbing and chemicals to remove them.
In an illustrative approach, a sanitary unit comprising at least one vessel, such as a bowl, basin, or a lavatory pan, which is movable between a position of use and a cleaning position. The unit comprises a rotary brush for cleaning the vessel when the latter is in its cleaning position and means for controlling the displacement of the vessel between the two positions and means for actuating the rotary brush.
Another approach provides a sanitary cell with an automatic cleaning device for the toilet bowl. The sanitary cell includes a sanitary chamber, a first technical equipment chamber for accommodating toilet bowl cleaning appliances, and a wall, which separates the two chambers and which supports, on its opposite sides, two toilet bowls which are located in the sanitary and first technical equipment chambers, respectively. The toilet bowl located in the sanitary chamber has an opening, which points upwardly. The toilet bowl located in the first technical equipment chamber has an opening, which points downwardly. A second technical equipment chamber is located beneath the floor of the sanitary chamber. A separating wall pivots about a horizontal axis to enable the pivoting of the toilet bowls from the first technical equipment chamber, through the second technical equipment chamber, and into the sanitary chamber, so that the toilet bowls can be cleaned. The sanitary and technical equipment chambers have respective openings in the area of the respective bowls so as to accommodate their pivotal movement.
Still another approach describes a self-cleaning water closet wherein either the bowl or a specifically provided cabinet-type enclosure is pivotally movable between a first non-cleaning position and a second cleaning position. When in the cleaning position, the cabinet-type enclosure sealably encloses at least a portion of the bowl before washing begins.
A hospital patient care unit has been described, which consists of a folding toilet in a compact cabinet wherein the cowl of the toilet is removable so that the unit can be used either as a bedpan or in the normal manner. The unit is designed so that when it is closed, the bowl is automatically flushed and washed out and an interlock prevents opening the cabinet while the flushing operation is taking place.
A height adjustable toilet bowl has been described, which includes a water-actuated cylinder for moving it between a low position and a high position. The toilet bowl has a cleaning water circuit adapted to be connected to a water supply pipe, a hose interposed between the cleaning water circuit and the water supply pipe and an outlet pipe connected to a discharge duct through an extensible pipe. The water-actuated cylinder is a flexible cylinder connectable selectively to the water supply pipe and to the cleaning water circuit through a three position valve, a pipe being interposed between the flexible cylinder and the three position valve.
A previous approach provides a public toilet facility which is self-cleaning, automatic, and handicapped accessible. The facility offers a toilet that not only lowers from a vertical position to a horizontal position, but can also be adjusted vertically to different heights. High-pressure water jet nozzles are provided within the facility for high pressure cleaning of the toilet bowl and seat when the bowl is in the vertical position. The compact facility has a semicircular door, which is stored behind the equipment and machinery compartment when the facility is unoccupied.
Still another self-cleaning sanitation module has been described, which comprises a toilet pan movable between a use position and a cleaning position in which it is behind a separating wall. A back is provided which is movable between two positions, a use position and a cleaning position in which the back is disposed vertically above the pan. The displacement of the pan and the back between their use position and their cleaning position is performed in such a way that there is always a very small gap between the back and the pan.
Another approach describes a flush pot assembly having a pot, which is concealed when it is not being used. The pot can be easily accessed for use and washed with washing water after use even by a disabled person or a hospital patient. The flush pot assembly includes a pot connected to a flexible drain hose for passing washing water. The pot is provided such that it is integral with a back surface of a door. The door can be opened and closed and constitutes part of one side of a room. The flexible drain hose is connected between the pot and a drainpipe, which leads to the outside of the room. The pot is moved into the room by opening the door and is accommodated in a space outside the room by closing the door.
A sanitary unit having an automatic cleansing cycle has been described, which comprises a lockable enclosure in which a partition defines a usage zone and a maintenance zone. A bowl is mounted for rotation between a utilization position in which it projects horizontally from the partition in said usage zone and a cleaning position in which it is tipped up into an opening in the partition so as to empty it into the maintenance zone. The upwards opening of the bowl is separated into two sections by a partition wall which extends upwardly to cooperate with the front walls of the bowl to form a rim surrounding the utilization section of the bowl. The bottom of the partition wall stops short of the base of the bowl to define an orifice and the rear section of the bowl forms an evacuation passage from the evacuation orifice rearwards to the maintenance zone when the bowl is tipped up.
In another approach, a sanitary unit of the type comprising a vessel, which is mounted to be movable between a position of use and a cleaning position is described. In the swung over cleaning position, the pan faces the rotary brush and the back part closes the upper part of the drum of the brush so as to preclude any projection of water outside the drum. Further, the drum comprises a water supply system provided with radial perforations, which extend throughout the generatrix of the brush so as to spray the latter and complete the cleaning. The fluid supplied by the system may be pure water or water to which an anti-bacteria or anti-microbe disinfecting solution has been added.
A lift to flush toilet stool has been described, which includes a bowl supported above the ground, a flexible hose connecting the bowl to a sewer pipe and a support member for releasably retaining the flexible hose in a trap configuration. The bowl is lifted and the flexible hose substantially straightened to flush the toilet stool.
An approach describes an adjustable toilet mounted on the wall of a bathroom. The toilet is raised and lowered by an electrically driven motor. By raising and lowering the toilet, the elderly, the handicapped, and children are aided in the use of the toilet. The toilet provides electrical limit switches for stopping the motor at a desired height above the bathroom floor.
Another approach discusses an automatic toilet seat cleaning system including a movable toilet seat supported on a toilet bowl of a toilet in front of a toilet water tank and moved between a front side position and a rear side position, a fixed first motor, a transmission mechanism controlled by the first motor to turn the toilet seat horizontally when the toilet seat is moved to the rear side position, a fixed second motor, a wheel brush turned by the second motor to clean the toilet seat when the toilet seat is moved to the rear side position and turned by the transmission mechanism, a waste water tank adapted to hold waste water falling from the movable toilet seat, a water tube adapted to guide clean water to the wheel brush for cleaning the toilet seat, and an electrical dryer controlled to dry the toilet seat.
In still another approach, a toilet, particularly for public use, comprising a toilet bowl, the upper side of which is provided with a toilet seat, and a cleaning device by means of which at least the toilet seat can be cleaned is described. Said toilet seat is movable between an operating position and a cleaning position. The inner cleaning device comprises a housing which forms an inner cleaning chamber and is provided with cleaning elements that are placed therein. The toilet seat partly extends into the housing and is rotatable around a vertical axis in the cleaning position.